


rumors whispered down the halls / secrets written in bathroom stalls

by constellations (allyoop)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Humor, College, Doctor/Patient, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, High School, Kissing, M/M, Nerd Kirk, Nerdiness, Nurses, One Shot, Teen Angst, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-09 03:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyoop/pseuds/constellations
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Big Lie #5 is that they thought they were being secretive at all</p><p>aka high school AU; Jim is a big nerd and Bones is the intern nurse and neither of them is very good at admitting their feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jim Kirk was a contradiction. On one hand he was a grade-A nerd, glasses and all (although he resolutely swears he only needs them to see the board, but that was Big Lie #1). On the other hand he was a tousled blond, sunshine grinning, track running celebrity in his small town (he’ll tell you that he’s only  _mildly_ a big deal, but that’s Big Lie #2). He was also graduating early, the little genius, much to the dismay of school population. Confront Jim about his impending graduation, and he’ll just smile and shrug in a way that always sent several swooning girls off to the nurse’s office. 

Jim’s been to the nurses office on many occasions himself. Sprained ankle once, from misjudging a hurdle on the track. High fever another time, from pushing himself through midterms with hardly any sleep. His office visits were abnormal, even with all of his extracurriculars and propensity to push his limits. There was a rumor, a very specific rumor about a certain blond genius and a certain trainee nurse. Jim would deny everything before you even finished your sentence. He’d say “Leonard, who?” But that was Big Lie #3.

—-

"Look, kid, you really need to stop doing this to yourself."  
  
Jim was being pushed gently back on the cot and a glass of water was handed to him. "No, Bones you gotta let me go back. It’s the last class before the final and I really need the prep. It’s statistics, do you know how hard statistics are? And if I don’t do well I mmmpghu-" A thermometer was popped into his mouth, rendering him unable to say anything but mumbles.  
  
"Jim, _shut up_. I may only be here as an intern, but I’m still doctor enough to recognize a sick person when I see one.” Jim started to wriggle under Bones’ hands, upset at the news. “Yeah, I know. It’s awful, it’s bad, and it’s also really _damn hard_ to beat if you’re running half-empty.”  
  
He perched on the edge of Jim’s bed, trying to stay a safe distance away but also needing to stay close. Over the last couple of years, Bones has watched kid prodigy Jim Kirk rise and fall (sometimes quite literally) over and over. He’d come to the nurse with all sorts of bumps and bruises. The first year was the worst, because Bones knew more than half of those purple splotches couldn’t possibly be from missteps on the track. Bones couldn’t do a thing; he was just an intern, just a college boy from the next city. He didn’t know Jim’s story. But he cared. And he let Jim see that as he patched him up. Let Jim feel it through his steady hands as he gave him pain meds and ice packs. He told the kid, right before he let the office the first day they met, that if he ever needed anything,  _anything_ at all, Bones would be there for him. A listening ear or a dealer for those pain meds he seems to always need. Jim Kirk smiled and Bones couldn’t help but smile right back.

And here they were, several growth spurts and skinned knees later, a strange pair of friends that made the rumors go wild. Jim told him one day about all the stories people told. Bones had laughed it off, even as a shard of fear worked its way between his shoulder blades, making it hard to breathe. He told Jim that kids these days had such filthy imaginations, but his voice sounded empty even to him. Bones had thought about it, _oh yes_ he had thought about it. And it was hard to miss that edge of hope to Jim’s voice as he shared all those rumors with Bones. They’d been brushing fingertips and bumping knees accidentally-on-purpose for months now, the giant roaring elephant in the room growing impatient as Jim’s graduation bore down. But Bones couldn’t. He  _wouldn’t_. It’d be such a scandal in a town where everybody knew each other and stories never died. He couldn’t be the one to ruin Jim’s life; he wasn’t worth it. 

Bones had watched Jim grow from that awkward pile of limbs and smiles into a young man, confident and strong. He was a beam of light; he was going places, and who was he to stop him?

"Hey Bones?" Jim’s hand was resting on his knee, and the gentle touch almost made him fall off the bed. He looked at Jim, trying to quelch the shock in his expression.   
  
"Uh, yeah Jim?"  
  
"You should find a different nickname for me than ‘kid’."  
  
"You’ll always be a kid to me, Jim. ‘Cause you’re a _brat_.” Jim laughed brightly and Bones felt warmth blossom in his chest.   
  
"Yeah, but I’m  _graduating_.”  
  
"So?"  
  
His ears were turning red and Bones could see that he was getting visibly flustered.  
  
"But Bones, that means I’m leaving the nest, going away, taking a hike, sayonara, adieu, farewell, go-"  
  
"Yeah, Jim. I know what that means."  
  
"Well, I… I thought-" Bones was suddenly acutely aware that Jim’s hand was still on his knee. "I’m _grown up_ , Bones.”  
  
He took his hand gently off his knee. “Kid, you’re seventeen.”  
  
"I’m eighteen in a couple of months! And I’m graduating so I won’t be a student and I’ll be going to college and you’ll be…" Jim ran out of steam. He folded his hands back into his lap, the very picture of his shy first-year self. Bones ran a palm across his face, suddenly feeling very old and very tired.  
  
"We _can’t_ Jim. Why do you think we haven’t yet?” Jim perked up at that. “Damn those rumors. I always forget how perceptive teenagers can be if they want to be.” He leaned backwards against the wall, avoiding Jim’s gaze, wanting nothing more than for the floor to eat him and keep him from saying too much. But his heart was too in control of his mouth. “I like you Jim, I  _really_ like you. But-“  
  
” _Bones_ , I like you too.” He could hear the smile in Jim’s words, but he couldn’t bring himself to look.   
  
"But-"  
  
"Bones please don’t say another word. I want-"  
  
"I can’t do this to you. I can’t tie you down to a broken mess like me. You’re this shining star and I’m just a barely paid  _intern_ for godsake. I don’t have a whole lot left, but you’ve got everything. Don’t waste it. Don’t waste it on _me_.” He turned to Jim, emotion making his eyes sting. “I don’t want to regret ruining your life too.”  
  
Strong hands reeled him in by surprise and Jim kissed him. It was messy and desperate and he couldn’t help but kiss back. Bones pulled Jim closer, hand at the back of his neck and the other at his hip, playing at the edge of his shirt. Jim leaned into the touch, shifting his position so he could swing a leg around Bones and straddle his lap. The creak of the cot under their combined weight seemed deafening in the quiet room, and Bones was jarred out of this  _fantasy_ and into the real world. He tried to push Jim back, and lean away from his hungry mouth, but Jim just clenched his hands tighter in his shirt.  
  
"Where did you want to go med school?"   
  
"Jim, get off of me, we can’t do this-"  
  
"Tell me. Where did you want to go to med school?" Jim was full of a fire Bones had never seen before. His face was twisted in determination.  
  
"Well, I stayed in Georgia for Joce and that went so swimmingly well. Surprised they gave me my undergrad degree, considering how I drank my way through my senior year."  
  
"But where did _you_ want to go?”  
  
"Fleet U. In San Francisco. I need the fresh start, Jim. I have nothing left for me here."  
  
A huge grin bloomed on Jim’s face and Bones just grew more confused. “ _We’re_ going to college.”  
  
"Jim, I seriously have no idea what you’re going on about."  
  
"I’m a kid genius, Bones. Guess where I got in early admission, full ride?"  
  
"You’re kidding. They only accept like-"  
  
"Yeah the admission rate is 15% or something. What part of  _kid genius_ are you not getting?”   
  
Bones laughed. “I’m getting the  _kid brat_ part, that’s for sure.” His hands found their way back to Jim’s hips, enjoying the way he shivered a little under the touch. “But I’m still a little lost on what this means for me.”  
  
"You’ll be going too."  
  
Bones froze. “What? You didn’t write my essays or something as equally illegal did you?”  
  
It was Jim’s turn to laugh. “No, Bones, god no. It’s not too late. I can help you. I’m a really good tutor especially if my student is already smart. And you are. Really smart.”  
  
"Jim, I _can’t_. I’m not good enough; I couldn’t possibly be."  
  
” _Stop._ " That fire was back. "How can you say that? How can you know? You haven’t even _tried._ ”  
  
"Is that a challenge?" He tried to feebly counter, but the intensity of Jim’s gaze made him feel naked to the bone.   
  
"I believe in you Leonard McCoy. Can you believe in yourself?"  
  
"I…I can try."  
  
"Good." Jim’s bright smile was back, and he climbed further into Bones’ lap, feeling like he won a million dollars. Jim kissed the tip of his nose, grinning at him. Bones couldn’t help himself. He pushed their hips together and captured Jim’s moan with his mouth, silencing him with his tongue.  
  
Minutes or hours or light years later, when they finally broke for a breath, Bones couldn’t help but drop his head onto Jim’s shoulder, still feeling overwhelmed.  
  
"Why me, Jim. Why do you care?"  
  
"I heard a rumor, Bones, but it’s a secret. Can you keep it?" He nodded and Jim leaned into his ear and whispered. "Jim Kirk loves Leonard McCoy."   
  
"Oh, really?" Bones could feel his blush deepen a little more. "I think I’ve seen that written in the bathroom stalls. I have a secret as well."  
  
"Tell me."   
  
Bones smiled and mumbled into Jim’s collarbone. “Leonard McCoy might love Jim Kirk back.”

That was Big Lie #4.

There was no _'might'_ about it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another midnight fic because I have too many feelings about these dorks.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

The damn kid had done it. Bones was watching from the bleachers, dress shirt unbuttoned and tie long abandoned in this heat. Despite the angry sun (who still held graduation outside, for godssake), Bones caught himself smiling wider than he even knew he was capable. Jim broke school decorum, of course, and was waving enthusiastically at Bones as he crossed he stage. He was happy; they both were. Jim’s mom couldn’t make it; she wasn’t able to get leave soon enough to let her travel back to see his graduation. Jim had asked and so Bones came instead. He didn’t feel like a replacement, not when Jim was beaming at him and pointing to the diploma winking. Bones could sense what the kid was thinking, since he was thinking the same thing.

 _Here’s to new beginnings_.

*

“Jim, I already told you-“

“Yeah, but when have I ever listened?”

Jim was draped across the pile of boxes Bones was trying so hard to move. They definitely didn’t need the excess weight of one college freshman who refused to budge.

“I swear to god kid, if you don’t move that butt in one second-“

“You like the butt.”

“Whether I like the butt is not up for discussion right now; classes start tomorrow and I still haven’t gotten everything into the right room!” Bones brandished the scissors at him. “Don’t you have your own dorm to move into, anyways?”

Jim stuck his tongue out, more at the thought than at Bones. The fact that freshmen were required to live in a campus dorm had been nothing but an irritation for Jim. He was jealous of the relatively sizable apartment Bones had found, and had already claimed the couch as his own. But deep down (okay not that deep down; he had only told Bones this seventeen times) Jim had held onto hope that maybe they could room together, what with being _boyfriends_ now.

Bones, still holding onto his southern gentleman ideals, had resolutely told Jim ‘no way’. It was way too soon. Bones wanted him to make new friends and explore new things, without an ‘old man’ dragging him down. And he knew he’d get nothing done with Jim around. He was nothing but tan limbs and slow kisses.

Although, for all his talk, Jim had never pushed them further or faster. They spent the summer in cold pools and hot sands, relishing the freedom Bones’ old truck and an open road promised.  Sometimes they found themselves limbs tangled and panting, but more often than not, Jim was consent to doze against Bones’ chest, occasionally pointing out a constellation in the sky.

It was nice: nothing short of a dream for Bones. There was one night they slept outside, deciding to crash rather than drive through the dark until they got home. Jim had dragged him through the wild, driven by some instinct of youth or genius, Bones didn’t know which. He found himself in a meadow, wildflowers everywhere and the moon making the bluebells glow. There were fireflies and a soundtrack of crickets, and Bones wished desperately never to wake up. Jim’s hand in his, a steady warmth, was the only reassurance that this was real. Granted, he could still have been dreaming, but Jim was still there in the morning with grass sprinkled in his hair.

Ask Bones how his summer was, and he could only smile.

*

“Jim, its one in the morning.”

“I know. I can see the clock.”

“ _Jim_.” He struggled to sit up with Jim and a pile of blankets jumbled in his lap. The movie had long since ended, and infomercials could only repeat so often before causing madness.

“ _Bones.”_ Jim had the gall to wrap his arms tighter around his chest, laughing.

“You have class at nine. It’s the first day; you really shouldn’t be late.”

“Don’t you have class too?”

“Orientation at the med center. But _I_ don’t matter; I’ve done this song and dance before so I know how many cups of coffee equals the amount of sleep missed.”

“I had sleepless nights in high school.”

“Jim _, please_. It’s your first day.”

“Are you threatening to kick me out late at night? What kind of boyfriend are you?”

Bones pried Jim off, knocking him gently to the floor still rolled in the blankets. He patted his face with a look of faux concern. “The kind that cares. Now get out of my house.”

Jim didn’t move. “My dorm is kind of far away. C’mon Bonesy, won’t you walk me?”

“You’re the one that desperately had to watch all the Transformers movies in a row. They aren’t even _good_ , Jim. You got yourself into this.” Bones could feel his resolve wavering as Jim cranked up the level of his puppydog eyes.

“ _Bonesy_. College is scary. I don’t know anyone but you.”

“And you won’t meet anyone if all you ever see is the inside of my room.” His words were empty. Bones and Jim both know who had won, and it wasn’t Bones’ common sense. “Okay, fine. _Fine_. But you have to promise me you will stay in your dorm and make friends and do college things after this _one_ night.”

Jim put his hand on his heart, mock swearing. “I promise.” He dropped his hand and the wicked grin returned. “Which side of the bed do you want?”

“Whoa, who said anything about-“ Bones spluttered.

“You don’t expect me to stay on your couch when there’s a perfectly good bed in the next room?”

 _Damn him_ , Bones thought. _Damn him and his warm hands and big smile._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea wouldn't leave me so I made a part 2.  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
